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The Stardust mission returned cometary, interplanetary and (probably) interstellar dust in 2006 to Earth that have been analysed in Earth laboratories worldwide. Results of this mission have changed our view and knowledge on the early solar nebula. The Rosetta mission is on its way to land on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and will investigate for the first time in great detail the comet nucleus and its environment starting in 2014. Additional astronomy and planetary space missions will further contribute to our understanding of dust generation, evolution and destruction in interstellar and interplanetary space and provide constraints on solar system formation and processes that led to the origin of life on Earth. One of these missions, SARIM-PLUS, will provide a unique perspective by measuring interplanetary and interstellar dust with high accuracy and sensitivity in our inner solar system between 1 and 2 AU. SARIM-PLUS employs latest in-situ techniques for a full characterisation of individual micrometeoroids (flux, mass, charge, trajectory, composition) and collects and returns these samples to Earth for a detailed analysis. The opportunity to visit again the target comet of the Rosetta mission 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimeenternko, and to investigate its dusty environment six years after Rosetta with complementary methods is unique and strongly enhances and supports the scientific exploration of this target and the entire Rosetta mission. Launch opportunities are in 2020 with a backup window starting early 2026. The comet encounter occurs in September 2021 and the reentry takes place in early 2024. An encounter speed of 6 km/s ensures comparable results to the Stardust mission.

In 2004 the Ulysses spacecraft had its second flyby at Jupiter at 0.8 AU from the planet. 28 dust streams emanating from the jovian system were identified over a 26-month period while the spacecraft was within 4 AU of the planet, and the dust instrument was operating, scanning jovigraphic latitudes from +75 degrees to -25 degrees. From late 2002 until mid 2005, jovian dust stream particles dominated the overall impact rate, reaching a maximum of about 2000 per day in mid 2004. The dust stream data imply strong coupling of the grains to the interplanetary magnetic field. Ulysses also continuously monitored the interstellar dust stream in the heliosphere.

Identical in situ dust detectors are flown on board the Galileo and Ulysses spacecraft. They record impacts of micrometeoroids in the ecliptic plane at heliocentric distances from 0.7 to 5.4 AU and in a plane almost perpendicular to the ecliptic from -79 degrees to +79 degrees ecliptic latitude. The combination of both Ulysses and Galileo measurements yields information about the radial and latitudinal distributions of micron- and submicron-sized dust in the Solar System. Two types of dust particles were found to dominate the dust flux in interplanetary space. Interplanetary micrometeoroids covering a wide mass range from 10(-16) to 10(-6) g are recorded mostly inside 3 AU and at latitudes below 30 degrees. Interstellar grains with masses between 10(-14) and 10(-12) g have been positively identified outside 3 AU near the ecliptic plane and outside 1.8 AU at high ecliptic latitudes (>50 degrees). Interstellar grains move on hyperbolic trajectories through the planetary system and constitute the dominant dust flux (1.5 X 10(-4) m(-2) sec(-1)) in the outer Solar System and at high ecliptic latitudes. To compare and analyze the Galileo and Ulysses data sets, a new model is developed based on J. Geophys. Res. 98, 17029-17048, Divine's (1993, ''five populations of interplanetary meteoroids'' model. Both models describe the interplanetary meteoroid environment in terms of dust populations on distinct orbits. Taking into account the measured velocities and the effect of radiation pressure on small particles (described by the ratio of radiation pressure force to gravity, beta), we define four populations of meteoroids on elliptical orbits and one population on hyperbolic orbit that can fit the micrometeoroid flux observed by Galileo and Ulysses. Micrometeoroids with masses greater than 10(-10) g and negligible radiation pressure (beta = 0) orbit the Sun on low to moderately eccentric orbits and with low inclinations (less than or equal to 30 degrees). Populations of smaller

Dust measurements have been obtained with the dust detector onboard the Galileo spacecraft inside a distance of about 60R(J) from Jupiter (Jupiter radius, R-J = 71, 492 km) during two periods of about 8 days around Galileo's closest approaches to Ganymede on 27 June and on 6 Sept 1996. The impact rate of submicrometer-sized particles fluctuated by a factor of several hundred with a period of about 10 hours, implying that their trajectories are strongly affected by the interaction with the Jovian magnetic field. Concentrations of small dust impacts were detected at the times of Ganymede closest approaches that could be secondary ejecta particles generated upon impact of other particles onto Ganymede's surface. Micrometer-sized dust particles, which could be on bound orbits about Jupiter, are concentrated in the inner Jovian system inside about 20R(J) from Jupiter.

From October 18, 1990 to February 8, 1992 the Ulysses spacecraft traversed interplanetary space between the Earth and Jupiter; at Jupiter the spacecraft was deflected below the ecliptic onto a highly-inclined orbit (i similar to 80 degrees). Here, we report on dust impact data obtained from launch until the end of 1992, nearly a year after the Jupiter flyby. During that time (792 days), the Ulysses dust detector recorded 968 impacts of dust particles with masses ranging from 10(-16) g to 10(-8) g. The impact rate varied from as low as one impact per week during quiet times to more than one per minute during the dust stream of March 10-11, 1992. In this paper, we present and describe the complete data set including both raw and reduced data. The performance of the sensor, which has been very satisfactory so far, is discussed in detail together with the noise discrimination scheme employed. The instrument's detection threshold is given as a function of both the particle's mass and its speed relative to Ulysses. The derived impact rates and the distribution of particle masses, speeds and impact directions are compared to a model of the meteoroid complex.

From its launch in October 1989 until the end of 1992, the Galileo spacecraft traversed interplanetary space from Venus to the asteroid belt and successfully executed close flybys of Venus, the Earth, and the asteroid Gaspra. The dust instrument has been operating most of the time since it was switched on in December 1989. Except for short time intervals near Earth, data from the instrument were received via occasional(once per week to once per month) memory read outs containing 282-818 bytes of data. All events (impacts or noise events) were classified by an onboard program into 24 categories. Over the three-year time span, the dust detector recorded 469 ''big'' dust impacts. These were counted in 21 of the 24 event categories. The three remaining categories of very low amplitude events contain mostly noise events. The impact rate varied from 0.2 to 2 impacts per day depending on heliocentric distance and direction of spacecraft motion with respect to the interplanetary dust cloud. Because the average data transmission rate was very low, some data were not received on the ground. Complete data sets for 358 ''big'' impacts were received, but the other 111 ''big'' impacts were only counted. The observed impact rates are compared with a model of the meteoroid complex.

Along Ulysses' path from Jupiter to the south ecliptic pole, the onboard dust detector measured a dust impact rate that varied slowly from 0.2, to 0.5 impacts per day. The dominant component of the dust flux arrived from an ecliptic latitude and longitude of 10 degrees +/- 10 degrees and 280 degrees +/- 30 degrees which indicates an interstellar origin. An additional flux of small particles, which do not come from the interstellar direction and are unlikely to be zodiacal dust grains, appeared south of -45 degrees latitude. One explanation is that these particles are beta-meteoroids accelerated away from the sun by radiation pressure and electromagnetic forces.

On 8 February 1992, the Ulysses spacecraft flew by Jupiter at a distance of 5.4 AU from the Sun. During the encounter, the spacecraft was deflected into a new orbit, inclined at about 80-degrees to the ecliptic plane, which will ultimately lead Ulysses over the polar regions of the Sun1. Within 1 AU from Jupiter, the onboard dust detector2 recorded periodic bursts of submicrometre dust particles, with durations ranging from several hours to two days, and occurring at approximately monthly intervals (28 +/- 3 days). These particles arrived at Ulysses in collimated streams radiating from close to the line-of-sight direction to Jupiter, suggesting a jovian origin for the periodic bursts. Ulysses also detected a flux of micrometre-sized dust particles moving in high-velocity (greater-than-or-equal-to 26 km s-1) retrograde orbits (opposite to the motion of the planets); we identify these grains as being of interstellar origin.

The Ulysses dust experiment is intended to provide direct observations of dust grains with masses between 10(-16) g and 10(-6) g in interplanetary space, to investigate their physical and dynamical properties as functions of heliocentric distance and ecliptic latitude. Of special interest is the question of what portion is provided by comets, asteroids and interstellar particles. The investigation is performed with an instrument that measures the mass, speed, flight direction and electric charge of individual dust particles. It is a multicoincidence detector with a mass sensitivity 10(6) times higher than that of previous in-situ experiments which measured dust in the outer solar system. The instrument weighs 3.8 kg, consumes 2.2 W, and has a normal data transmission rate of 8 bits/s in nominal spacecraft tracking mode. On 27th October 1990 the instrument was switched-on. The instrument was configured to flight conditions and science data collection started immediately. In the period to 13th January 1991 at least 44 dust impacts have been recorded. Flux values are given covering the heliocentric distance range from 1.04 to 1.7 AU.

The Galileo and Ulysses spaceprobes carry two similar dust detectors through interplanetary space from Venus to Jupiter. We report here on impacts which correspond to dust particles above a mass threshold of about 10(-13)g for which we have complete records. Between December 1989 and January 1992 Galileo repeatedly traversed interplanetary space between 0.7 and 2.26 AU and recorded 374 impacts. The observed impact rates ranged from 0.1 to about 3 impacts per day strongly dependent on whether the spacecraft moved towards or away from the Sun. From October 1990 to January 1992 the Ulysses spacecraft had reached a distance of 5.17 AU from the Sun and had recorded 72 impacts at rates between 0.1 and 0.5 per day. Inside about 2 AU the observed fluxes are compatible with a population of interplanetary dust particles moving on low to moderately eccentric (e = 0.1 to 0.5) and low inclination (i = 0 deg. to 30 deg.) orbits. Outside this distance a dust particle population on different orbits is required in order to explain the Ulysses data.